A Montgomery County high school graduation ceremony was filled with emotion Wednesday night as a 17-year-old boy who died in a crash earlier this year was honored.
Seventeen-year-old Thomas De Macedo was supposed to walk across the stage and receive his diploma from Walt Whitman High School, but his life was cut short in a crash on River Road near Pyle Road on Feb. 27.
His parents, 52-year-old Michael Buarque De Macedo and 53-year-old Alessandra M. Buarque De Macedo, also died in the crash.
Helena Buarque De Macedo, Thomas' sister, survived. Helena is a sophomore at Walt Whitman High School.
Parents and students applauded Helena as she accepted her brother's honorary diploma during the ceremony.
"Tommy's the kind of kid who's larger-than-life," sophomore Ray Crist told News4 after the crash. "He got into Georgia Tech. He was really excited to go there next year."
On Tuesday, residents pushed for changes to the area where the deadly crash happened.
